Toilet seat



March 6, 1934. s. G. ZUCKERMAN 1,950,016

TOILET SEAT Filed Mardh 14, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Samuel GerZuclerma/z ATTORNEY March 1934- s. G. ZUCK-ERMAN 1,950,016

TOILET SEAT Filed March 14, 1932 a Sheeis-Sheet 2 m ,HHHHHH in 4 g Q IN"ATTORNEY 1934- s. G. ZUCKERMAN ,0

TOILET SEAT Filed March 14, 1932 3 Shegts-Sheet 3 an I! WHH H INVENTORSamuel George ZaC BY l ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 6, 1934 TOILET SEAT SamuelGeorge Zuckerman, Brooklyn. N. Y., as-

signor to Eveready Seat Corporation, New

York, N. Y. Application March 14,

12 Claims.

This invention relates to toilet seats for infants, and particularly ofthe type adapted for attachment to bowls provided with adult seats. Themain object of this invention is to enable an appliance of this kind tobe fitted into place in such manner that it will adequately serve itsfunction when in its operative position, and that can be readily removedto an inoperative position either almost completely out of sight whenthe bowl is not in use, or conveniently out of the way when it is beingused by an adult.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of this characterwith simple adjusting means to permit it to be operatively fitted tobowls of different designs and variously sized fittings,

and to further enable it to be easily and quickly secured into place bya person not possessed of any special mechanical skill. It is stillanother object to provide constructions for appliances of this class, ofeither permanent, built-in or detachable designs, of sturdy andlight-weight structure, and of low manufacturing cost.

A further object of this invention is to provide a safe, sanitary, andcomfortable toilet seat for at the same time serves as therefor.

For the accomplishment of the aforesaid objects, the device constitutingmy invention is of a collapsible construction, certain cooperativelyhinged parts serving, in their upright positions, as side and backwalls-and when collapsed, assuming a substantially horizontal positionoverlying the regular adult seat, the protruding elements, such as thehinges, disappearing into the opening in the said adult seat. The partsare so arranged, that when the seat is folded into its collapsedposition and the lid closed thereover, the space consumed by thecombined thickness of the parts is no greater than the usual spacebetween lid and seat. The design is such that the moving of any one ofthe walls will cause a corresponding movement of the others, to bringthe device into either its operative or inoperative positions, making itextremely easy to manipulate. Other features, advantages and objectswill appear from the drawings, and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective of the infants toilet seat shown in its openposition over an adult seat.

Figure 2 is a plan view, 53 seat open as in Figure 1.

showing the infants infants, and one which overlies the adult seat and aprotective housing Y 1932, Serial No. 598,740 (01. 4239) Figure 3 is afront to rear section taken along line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side section along line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section along line 5-5 of Figure 3 showing the hingedconstruction at the rear of the back walls.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the device in its collapsed or closedposition.

Figure 7 is side sectional view along line 7-7 06 of Figure 6,indicating by dot-dash lines the upright position of the infants seat.

Figure 8 is a front view of a modification, showing a front guardconsisting of two interlocking arms.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan view showing the position of the armswhen the device is in its collapsed position, and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary side view showing a modified form ofconnection between the collapsible seat and the fittings on a differentvariety of bowl than that shown in Figure 1.

In the drawings the adult or large seat 15, resting upon the bowl 16,has surmounted thereon the infant's or small seat 17, to the side edgesof which are connected, by the hinges 18 and 19 the side walls 20 and 21respectively, and to the rear edge of which is connected, by the hinge22, the back rest 23. The rear walls 24 and 25 are each hinged to one ofsaid side walls and said 85 back rest,the hinges 26 and 27 eifecting theconnections to the side walls, and the hinges 28 and 29 to the backrest. This arrangement enables the parts constituting the seat to coactwith each other in such manner, that if any one of the walls or the backrest were inwardly moved from the position shown in Figure 1, all theother parts would fold inwardly and downwardly to the collapsed orinoperative position shown in Figures 6 and 7. It will be noted that inthe collapsed position, the walls 24 and 25 overlie the seat 17, theside walls 20 and 21 are resting in facing relation upon said sides, andthe back rest is positioned over and extends into the opening 30. Toeffect perfect cooperation and the desired coordination between theparts, the hinges are so designed that the axes of hinges 18, 22, 26 and28, and those of the hinges 19, 22, 27 and 29, intersect at one point,as is clearly shown in Figures 3 [and 4.

The opening 30 in the small seat 17 contains the annular wall 31 whichis integral with the seat 17 and extends downwardly through the openingin the large seat when the small seat is down in place. This wall servesas a housing 110 or protective element for the adult seat 15, therebypreventing the soiling of the latter seat when the bowl is being used byan infant. As the periphery of the opening 30 is formed by the smooth,curved juncture of the seat proper and the said annular wall, there isno sharp edge contacting with the child, thereby making for greatercomfort. The back rest 23 is bent forwardly (in its upright position),so that in its collapsed position it will extend downwardly into theopening 30,the bend therein being sufficiently great to permit thehinges 28 and 29. to completely enter said opening. (See Figure 7). Therear walls 24 and 25 have the portions adjacent the back rest bentrearwardly near the hinges 28 and 29, and made adaptable to thecurvature in the said back rest. The lid 32 can therefore be completelyclosed to its horizontal position without any interference from upwardlyprotruding elements, said lid being separated from the large seat bythree thicknesses, namely that of the small seat 1'7, the side walls 20and 21 and the rear walls 24 and 25 thereover; and as these parts can bemade of Bakelite or similar material, the total space consumed by thesaid three thicknesses can be relatively small.

The seat 17 contains an extension at the rear thereof which rests uponthe rear portion of the large seat, as shown in the drawings,--or overthe rear extension of the bowl in cases where the large seat is shorter.This small seat extension contains the grooved walls 33 and 34 adaptedto slidably receive the flat, horizontally disposed tongue 35, theslotted aperture 36 of which is adapted to coact with the screws 37 forlongitudinal adjustment of said tongue with respect to the small seatassembly. Coextensive with said tongue, and either integral therewith ora separate part thereof, is the flexible corrugated portion 38, the rearend of which is held secured between the two sets of spring clamps 39and 40, these clamps being held in fixed relation to each other andbeing secured to said tongue member by the transverse connecting bar 41and the screws 42 therein. It is understood that the said clamps 39 and40 may be formed from a single piece of metal having a transverse bodyportion connected to and integral with the clamping elements.

In securing this device into place, the said spring clamps are slippedover the transverse fitting or rod 43 at the center thereof, a rod ofthis type being commonly used for pivotally connecting the large seatand lid thereto. In the center of said rod and between said springclamps 39 and 40, is the member 44, which is immovably held in place bythe screw 45. This member 44 serves as a stop or abutment to preventlateral movement along rbd 43 of the tongue and small seat assembly.

It will be noted that the spring clips 39 and 40 are adaptable forattachment to fittings of different sizes within the commonly useddimensional limitations, as the resiliency of these spring members willenable these clamps to yieldably adjust themselves. To provide forvariations in the distance between the rod 43 and the small seatassembly, the slot 36 is provided as hereinbefore set forth, so that bya simple manipulation of the screws 37, the required longitudinaladjustment can easily be made. The entire assembly of seat and holdingmeans can be readily removed by exerting a forward pull to remove thespring clamps 39 and 40 from their yieldable engagement with the rod 43.It

will thus be observed that both the operation of assembling the deviceand of detaching same requires no special mechanical skill, the onlytool requiredbeing a screw-driver.

The corrugated portion 38 constitutes an additional adjusting means totake up the variations in the height of rod 43 above the bowl prevailingin different makes of toilet appliances of this class. Should the seat17 fail to rest flush along the entire surface of the large seat, thatis, should seat 1'7 be somewhat tilted due to the differences in levelbetween the axis of rod 43 and the upper surface of the large seat 15,the corrugated portion 38, being flexible and readily subject tobending, will yield sufficiently under the weight of a seated child topermit a complete peripheral contacting of the small seat with the largeseat.

It will be noted that the entire small seat assembly can be raised to anupright position against the lid 32 and out of the way, as indicated inFigure '7. When it is so raised, it will automatically collapse as soonas the back rest 23 contacts with the lid 32, as the continued rearwardmovement of the small seat 17 while the back rest is stationary isequivalent to the inward movement of a part of the seat assembly, ashereinbefore explained.

It should be further noted that the hinges 28 and 29 are at the rear ofthe back rest, so that there is no possibility of the child coming intocontact therewith. Neither can there be any pinching of the childs backbetween hinges, as could be the case if the hinges were exposed and thechilds flesh caught between the complementary parts of a hinge in theprocess of being closed. In my design, a flat smooth surface ispresented to the infants back, making for comfort and safety. Byreferring to Figure 4, it will be seen that the back rest 23 is slightlytilted rearwardly, permitting not only a comfortable position for thechild, but also preventing the possibility of a self-collapse of theassembly, as the inclination beyond the vertical or neutral positiontends to keep the parts in their open or operative position, there beingno possibility of a gravitational inward pull.

Note should be taken of the construction of hinges 28 and 29, shown indetail in Figure 5. The back rest 23 has the extensions 46 at the rearthereof which support the hinge pin 47 upon which are rotatably mountedthe complementary hinge members 48 forming a part of the rear wall 24.The hinge is held in place and against further movement beyond theposition shown in Figure 5, by the contacting of the surfaces at 49 andat 50,-the walls of the extensions 46 along 50 serving as an abutmentfor the corresponding walls of the elements 48. This insures a morerigid and a lasting construction.

The flexible member or strap 51 may be employed as an added element, oneend thereof being attached to the lid 32 and the other end to the rearof the back rest 23. When the entire assembly is in its collapsedposition, and the lid closed thereover, a raising of the lid will bringthe said strap 51- into tension and simultaneously raise the back rest,thereby unfolding the entire assembly and bringing it into its operativeposition. Similarly, when the small seat assembly is raised and is incollapsed position against the lid 32, a downward movement of the smallseat proper 17 to its operative position will result in a rearward pullof the strap 51 upon the back rest 23, thereby automatically unfoldingthe entire assembly. Of course, the length of the strap 51 has to bespecially adapted for the purpose. Being positioned over the centrallydisposed back rest, the strap, being flexible, will fold up upon acollapse of the device, and rest in the space within the opening 30, andbetween the rear of the back rest and lid, as indicated in Figure 6.

To provide a front guard as an additional safety precaution, theinterlocking arms 52 and 53 are employed. These are hinged at 54 and 55,and are detachably interlocked by the hook and bar arrangement shown-at56, or in some other suitable manner. When the device is collapsed, thearms 52 and 53 assume the position shown in Figure 9, a portion thereofunderlying the side walls 20 and 21 in the space between these walls andthe large seat, and the remaining portions extending rearwardly andhorizontally over the opening 30. In place of these arms an ordinarybelt and buckle arrangement can be employed, suitably attached to thesides 20 and 21.

In Figure 10 is shown a modified form of the attaching means forsecuring the small seat assembly to toilet bowl fittings that do nothave a part equivalent to the rod 43. .The lid 57 and large seat 58 areseparately attached to the bracket 59 as shown. The tongue member 35A isin this design attached to the free and lower arm 60 of the hinge 61,the upper arm 82 being fastened to the middle of the lid 57. The otheradjustments are made as in the first design illustrated. It will benoted that here also the attachment is very readily effected, no othertools being necessary than a screw-driver.

The exposed portions of the hinges on the small seat assembly can all bemade of the same material as the seat, such as Bakelite or the like,- sothat no metal is exposed to the child's touch. Should the hinges bemetallic, only small portions thereof will be so exposed,and these wouldnot directly contact with the child, and would be sufficiently removedfor adequate safety.

My invention is not limited to the specific forms and embodiments hereindescribed, as other mechanical forms can be employed within the scope ofappended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a toilet seat, the combination of a seat proper and a plurality ofcooperatively hinged parts comprising two side walls, a back rest, andtwo rear walls, said parts normally forming the side and back walls ofsaid seat, the assembly comprising said parts being simultaneouslycollapsible into a position overlying said seat proper.

2. In a toilet seat, the combination of a seat proper and a plurality ofcoacting parts compris-' hinged means cooperatively connecting saidwalls,.

back rest and seat proper, means to limit the outward movement of saidparts to a predetermined open position, said parts being foldableinwardly into a collapsed closed position, the relation of the parts insaid collapsed position being such that said rear walls overlie saidseat proper, said side walls rest in facing relation upon said rearwalls, and said back rest is positioned over the opening in said 'seatproper.

4. In a toilet appliance of the class described, the combination of aseat and a plurality of coacting parts normally forming the side andback walls of said seat, hinged means cooperatively connecting saidwalls and seat, and adjacent walls to each other the relation of saidparts and seat being such that a movement of any one of said parts withrespect to said seat will cause a. simultaneous corresponding movementof the rest of said parts.

5. In a toilet seat, the combination of a seat proper and a plurality ofcoacting parts comprising two side walls, a back rest, and two rearwalls, hinged means cooperatively connecting said seat proper to saidside walls and said back rest, and each of said rear walls to said backrest and one of said side walls, means on said hinged means to limit theoutward movement of said parts to a predetermined position, said partsbeing foldable inwardly into a collapsed closed position by adownwardmanipulation of any one of said parts.

6. In a toilet seat, the combination of a seat proper and a plurality ofcoacting parts comprising two side walls, a back rest,. and two rearwalls, hinged means cooperatively connecting said seat proper to saidside walls and said back rest, and each of said rear walls to said backrest and one of said side walls, said means comprising a plurality ofsimilarly arranged hinges on both sides of the longitudinal center lineof said seat, the axes of all the hinges on each side of said centerline intersecting at one point.

'7. In a toilet appliance adapted to overlie a seat permanentlyassociated with a toilet bowl, the combination of a pivotally mountedseat and a plurality of cooperatively hinged parts comprising the sidewalls, rear walls, and a back rest thereof, said parts being foldableinwardly into a collapsed position over said pivotally mounted seat,said back rest containing a forwardly bent portion adapted to enter thehole in said latter seat when said parts are in their collapsedposition.

8. In a toilet appliance adapted to overlie a seat permanentlyassociated with a toilet bowl, the combination of a pivotally mountedseat and a plurality of cooperatively hinged parts comprising two sidewalls, a back rest and two rear walls, the hinged connections betweensaid back rest and said rear walls being on the rear surface of saidback rest, the said rear walls having rearwardly bent portions extendingto the rear of said back rest for attachment to said hinged connections,the exposed surface of said rear walls being substantially flush withthe front surface of said back rest; said parts being foldable inwardlyinto a collapsed position over said pivotally mounted seat.

9. In a toilet appliance adapted to overlie a seat permanentlyassociated with a toilet bowl, the combination of a pivotally mountedseat and a plurality of cooperatively hinged parts comprising two sidewalls, a back rest and two rear walls, the hinged connections betweensaid back rest and said rear walls being on the rear surface otallymounted seat; said latter seat containing a central opening having anannular wall adapted to extend into said first-mentioned seat and sublstantially concentric therewith; said back rest having a bent portionthereon carrying the said hinged connections and adapted upon a collapseof said parts, to enter said central opening a sufficient amount tobring said hinged connections within said opening.

10. In a toilet appliance, a toilet bowl having permanently associatedtherewith a pivotally connected lid and seat, in combination with adetachable auxiliary toilet seat comprising a seat proper and aplurality of cooperatively hinged parts forming the side and rear wallsof said seat and the back rest thereof, the said parts being foldableinwardly into a collapsed position wherein said rear walls overlie saidseat proper, said side walls rest in facing relation upon said rearwalls, and said back rest overlies and extends into the opening in saidseat proper a sufficient distance to bring its uppermost part below theupper surface of said side walls so that when said lid is closed it willrest flush upon said upper surface.

11. In a toilet appliance, the combination of a bowl, a main toiletseat, a lid, pivotal fittings for said seat and lid, and an auxiliarytoilet seat adapted to overlie said main seat and comprising a seatproper and a plurality of cooperatively hinged walls foldable into acollapsed position over said seat proper; a plurality of clampsdetachably secured to a suitable portion of said fittings; abuttingmeans engageable with said clamps to hold them against lateral movement;a connecting member detachably secured to said clamps, said memberhaving a flexible middle portion thereon adapted for bending along atransverse horizontal axis; grooved means attached to the rear of saidseat proper for slidably receiving the forward portion of saidconnecting member; a longitudinal slot in said member; securing meansengageable with said slot for holding said member in fixed relation tosaid grooved means.

12. In a toilet seat, the combination of a seat proper and a pluralityof cooperatively hinged parts normally forming the side and back wallsof said seat, said parts being foldable into a collapsed positionoverlying said seat proper; and a front rail consisting of a pair ofinterlocking arms each being hinged to one of said side walls, said armsbeing adapted to underlie said side walls when said parts are in theircollapsed position.

SAMUEL GEORGE ZUCKERMAN.

